This invention relates to belt sanders and particularly to the mechanism providing belt tension to drive a belt with minimal slippage. Typically, one of the rollers on the belt sander is spring loaded to force the roller against the belt and ensure proper drive friction. When it is desired to change the belt, the spring load on the belt has to be relieved and the typical design in the art further loads the spring which results in making it difficult to operate the release lever. Typically, this will require 15 to 20 pounds of actuating force.